Use of isolated digestive-gland cells in the study of biochemical and physiological processes in gastropod molluscs.

We describe a method for preparation and maintenance of isolated digestive-gland cells in the abalone, Haliotis kamtschatkana. Viability of the isolated cells was confirmed by the fact that 18 h after preparation the cells exhibited less than 5% staining with trypan blue and actively synthesized glycogen following the addition of glucose substrate. Use of the method in a 15-month study of metabolic activity of the digestive gland of H. kamtschatkana showed significant differences in oxygen consumption of isolated-cell preparations correlated with seasonal differences in somatic and gametogenetic growth, and with relative size of the digestive gland.